Chapter 113

Kong Muhua gleefully followed the kind and handsome young man, hoping to reason with him.

Though the young man was merely a Golden Core Cultivator and appeared frail, he was human. Communication between humans was always easier, and perhaps he could finally understand why Bai Zihao was perpetually angry. Besides, Bai Zihao was a Divine Transformation-stage expert; he wouldn't be too harsh on a Golden Core Cultivator. Kong Muhua planned to seize this chance to sneak in with the young cultivator and then beg for mercy.

Kong Muhua happily trailed the young man, circling a few times, only to find him heading towards the Indestructible Peak’s council hall. The Divine Lord had apparently returned and was deep in discussion with several demon cultivators, including his arch-rivals, the Roc Demon and the Bifang Demon. Kong Muhua immediately fluffed his feathers, smoothed his robes, and sashayed in with a captivating gait.

After two steps, he suddenly realized something was amiss…

What was the young man doing here?

Kong Muhua instinctively tried to slip away but was spotted by the Divine Lord. Several Blood King Vines sealed off his escape…

Song Qingshi rushed to Yue Wuhuan, earnestly explaining, “Men should never toy with emotions or bully girls.”

Yue Wuhuan removed his thin gloves, gently tidied Song Qingshi’s disheveled hair, and agreed, “Indeed, one must never toy with emotions.”

His rivals watched, enjoying the spectacle.

Kong Muhua finally understood, whimpering pitifully, “Divine Consort…”

Song Qingshi looked bewildered, “What Divine Consort?”

Yue Wuhuan exploded, lashing him twice, forcing Kong Muhua back into his true form—a golden peacock with a long, flowing tail, flapping wildly around the room, screeching mournfully. Song Qingshi was about to tell Yue Wuhuan not to hit a girl when he suddenly recalled his biology textbook… Peacocks with tail displays were male, right?

He pondered the connection between male peacocks and "girls" for a moment before the truth dawned on him. But he couldn't be blamed—he had discovered Yue Wuhuan’s cross-dressing identity by accidentally touching him while helping him onto a horse. Now, Kong Muhua was wearing a voluminous, colorful dress, and Song Qingshi wasn't some lecher who would grope someone’s pelvis or pubic bones.

Even though Kong Muhua was a delightful boy, domestic violence was still unacceptable.

Song Qingshi hesitated, wondering if he should intervene again, but Yue Wuhuan had already dismissed the gawking demon cultivators. He bound the pitiful golden peacock’s wings and claws with Blood King Vines, hauled him over, and introduced, “He’s Bai Zihao’s lover.”

Peacocks were demon-repelling birds, ancient great demons imbued with divine power. By human cultivation standards, they were Mahayana-stage ancestors, their strength ranking among the foremost at Indestructible Peak. During wartime, Kong Muhua served as the vanguard, cleaving half a mountain with a single swing of his axe, charging fearlessly into battle and amassing illustrious merits.

Birds loved beauty and flamboyant displays, so cross-dressing was nothing new. But Kong Muhua’s personality was eccentric, and his relationship with Bai Zihao was tumultuous, with a breakup every few decades. Indestructible Peak had grown accustomed to the drama; no one paid attention to Kong Muhua’s theatrics—his crying, tantrums, or feigned suicide attempts. Everyone knew it was just an act, a melodrama performed for Bai Zihao’s benefit. Only Bai Zihao fell for it every time.

Song Qingshi was new here, engrossed in research, and no one had briefed him on these recurring performances.

Kong Muhua, rarely finding someone willing to humor him, threw himself fully into the role. Given his strength and status, he wasn’t afraid of repercussions—until he ran into the Divine Lord’s partner and had several of his beautiful feathers plucked out…

The peacock preened his feathers, whimpering pitifully.

He planned to collect all the fallen feathers, gather them, and make a fan as a gift for Bai Zihao.

……

After finally understanding the situation, Song Qingshi realized Bai Zihao was his original mission target. He didn’t regret mistaking Kong Muhua, but he felt some guilt towards this kind-hearted youth who should have been saved.

Yue Wuhuan noticed his thoughts and asked, “Do you want to meet Bai Zihao?”

Still traumatized by the Mo Yuan Magic Formation, Song Qingshi first observed Yue Wuhuan’s expression to ensure there were no lingering grudges or risks of another strange tragedy before nodding firmly. He also wanted to see what had become of his mission target.

Yue Wuhuan smiled and led him there.

Whenever Bai Zihao visited Indestructible Peak to pay respects to the Divine Lord, he stayed at Kong Muhua’s Longing Pavilion… Back when he thought the peacock was a girl, he had been coaxed into staying there once, and it became a standing arrangement. The other demons feared Kong Muhua’s tantrums and twin axes, so Bai Zihao had no choice but to comply.

Yue Wuhuan dragged Kong Muhua away, leaving Song Qingshi to enter Longing Pavilion alone.

Song Qingshi knocked and entered, finding Bai Zihao meticulously stitching together a shattered skull. The skull’s owner—some unknown cultivator—wore a twisted expression, and seven or eight soul lamps burned nearby. This scene… didn’t quite match the helpless figure of the past.

“Immortal Lord?” Bai Zihao was overjoyed to see Song Qingshi. He set aside the skull and made tea, explaining, “This is trash the Divine Lord ordered me to kill—a scoundrel who harmed young girls… The Divine Lord wanted his head displayed on the city gates as a warning. When I found him committing evil, I got so angry I forgot the Divine Lord’s instructions and accidentally smashed his skull. Now I’m trying to piece it back together to complete the task…”

The Divine Lord’s commands had to be obeyed.

He had been struggling to reassemble it for quite some time.

“Let me see,” Song Qingshi, ever eager in his area of expertise, pushed up his sleeves and got to work. As he pieced the skull together, he corrected, “You misplaced a few bones. It won’t restore properly like this. Later, I’ll give you a diagram of the human skeleton…”

One taught, the other learned, and soon the skull was reassembled and placed in a box.

After sipping his tea, Song Qingshi wanted to apologize to Bai Zihao but wasn’t sure how to bring it up. Finally, he said honestly, “I’m sorry… Back then, at Jin Feiren’s place… I should have saved you…”

“Jin Feiren?” Bai Zihao stared at him blankly for a long moment before recalling his good-for-nothing ex. He laughed, “If you hadn’t mentioned him, I’d have almost forgotten his name.”

Though the incident had been brutal and left its mark, nearly three thousand years had passed. Detestable things had long been relegated to the past. His days were filled with cultivation, missions, killing, and that pain-in-the-neck Kong Muhua. He had experienced far more intense things—why dwell on an unworthy memory?

With more joyful memories, the painful ones faded.

He could now look back calmly at the past: “Back then, I was young, ignorant, foolish, and cowardly. Clinging to the Immortal Lord’s leg only made me dead weight. Thankfully, the Immortal Lord saved Brother Wu Huan, and Brother Wu Huan taught me how to stand on my own feet. That was more valuable than anything.”

Back then, the Divine Lord not only taught him cultivation techniques and sword arts but also tolerated his mistakes with uncommon patience. In his free time, the Divine Lord would watch him closely, observing his every move. Fresh out of Golden Phoenix Manor, Bai Zihao’s mind was still cluttered with garbage. Under others’ gossip, he began to wonder if the Divine Lord had feelings for him, worrying about it for a long time.

He had fallen for a “girl” and didn’t want to get involved with another man—but Brother Wu Huan was someone he admired, and he owed him a great debt…

When the Divine Lord noticed the rumors and Bai Zihao’s confusion, he thought it was ridiculous. He summoned Bai Zihao to the lotus pond at Crimson River Hall and recounted his first meeting with the Medicine King Immortal—the medicine exchange, treatment, studying together, the heavenly tribulation, and each meaningful present… Suddenly, the Divine Lord asked, “If you were treated this way, would you like him? Would you feel happy?”

Bai Zihao thought for a moment and answered truthfully, “Probably.”

No one could help but be moved by such tenderness.

The Divine Lord fell silent for a long time, his expression beneath the veil appearing troubled.

“Brother Wu Huan,” Bai Zihao, feeling as if he had lost his senses, boldly used the old name and reached out to lift the veil, wanting to see his long-lost friend and offer comfort, “Don’t…”

His fingers just touched the cloth.

The Divine Lord snapped back to reality. Protective spiritual energy coalesced into a sword glare, slashing out without hesitation.

Bai Zihao’s hand was severed, pain shooting through him.

He was utterly stunned. Though he had suffered similar injuries during training from demonic beasts, he never expected the Divine Lord to strike him…

“You may have misunderstood something,” the Divine Lord, who loathed any physical contact, cast multiple cleansing spells on his robes and said coldly, “I despise you—even hate you… I saved you only to see what the right answer looked like.”

Bai Zihao picked up his severed hand and crept away to find a physician. Though his hand was soon reattached, the thought of being despised by his benefactor left him heartbroken for days. He even cried in secret.

When Kong Muhua heard about it, he came to console him: “Ignore what the Divine Lord says—look at what he does. Anyone else daring enough to do what you did would’ve lost their life. The Divine Lord spared you, so at least you matter more to him than others.”

Bai Zihao thought that made sense. Combined with the Divine Lord’s continued kindness and the “girl” he liked finding new ways to tease him, he soon got over it.

……

Song Qingshi listened, a little confused: “You lost a hand… and you weren’t angry?”

“Indestructible Peak has rules. I violated a prohibition—why would I be angry?” Bai Zihao was baffled. He had shared this story to emphasize the Divine Lord’s deep love for the Medicine King Immortal, a bond no one could replace. Why was the Immortal Lord focusing on his severed hand? Was this a doctor’s habit? He continued praising the Divine Lord, “Losing my hand happened many years ago. It doesn’t hurt anymore. I just… often envy the Divine Lord and Immortal Lord’s relationship…”

Why were his own relationships always with either jerks or idiots?

Bai Zihao thought of Kong Muhua’s gifts and got mad all over again.

Song Qingshi also wondered why Bai Zihao would hit such an effeminate guy like Kong Muhua.

Bai Zihao took out a set of clothes and showed them to him.

The outfit was meticulously crafted, exquisitely detailed and even embroidered with flowers—yet... it was women's clothing.

Bai Zihao bit back his anger and said, "He said he only knew how to make skirts, and before he knew it, it turned into this. He told me not to mind it and to wear it while accompanying him to see the lanterns. The guy's a complete idiot!"

At first, he couldn’t accept Kong Muhua—it hit him like a ton of bricks. The village he was born in was very conservative, with no concept of same-sex love. From childhood, he was taught to find a girl and live a proper life. Though after arriving in the immortal realm, he unfortunately became a toy for men's amusement and once thought he could never lead a normal life again, meeting the lively Kong Muhua made his heart flutter. He felt like an ordinary man again, wanting to build a happy family with the girl he liked—it was bliss.

Then, like a thunderbolt out of nowhere...

Rather than rejecting Kong Muhua’s "deception," it was more that he couldn’t accept his shattered dream, refusing to believe that he could only bottom and be with men...

For a long time, he couldn’t face reality.

Kong Muhua was deeply aggrieved, unable to understand why humans could like someone yet refuse to admit it, and threw tantrums for what felt like forever.

Bai Zihao softened a little and tried to convince himself—Medicine King Immortal was also a water-attribute spiritual root, and he wasn’t the only man in the world who preferred submission... Then, steeling himself, he figured, *Forget it. We’ve known each other for so many years, and I know the Peacock's a few feathers short of a full plumage. The sex was workable—though his technique is poor, his natural gifts are exceptional. If I take the initiative and teach him, he’ll improve...*

But every time he was on the verge of compromise, Kong Muhua would pull some crazy nonsense, infuriating him to the point where he wanted to string the guy up and beat the crap out of him.

*Look at the phoenix, look at the roc, look at the Bifang bird, look at the crane...*

The more he compared, the more he felt that when comparing men, some should just die, and among birds, some deserved to be thrown away!

Song Qingshi fell silent, sensing that Bai Zihao was also seriously clueless about physiological health. He decided to properly educate him, explaining that same-sex attraction was a normal phenomenon in nature to ease his psychological burden. After the lesson, he asked, "If Kong Muhua were a girl, would you be angry at the things he does?"

Bai Zihao hesitated. "No."

When Kong Muhua was a "girl," no matter how much he acted up, Bai Zihao found him lively and adorable.

He knew it was his own fault—he just couldn’t get past the mental barrier...

Medicine King Immortal’s lesson gave him an "aha" moment, but his mind was slow to process, and he needed more time to digest it.

Song Qingshi cautiously asked, "Do you feel happy now?"

Bai Zihao thought for a moment and smiled. "Yes, I’m happy."

Now, he was a ruler of his own domain—no one dared to humiliate or bully him anymore, and he could freely go around killing the trash he despised. Though Kong Muhua was a total weirdo, he was sincere. The pain of the past no longer weighed on him. Aside from the occasional absurdities, he had no real problems, enjoying every day in great joy.

Song Qingshi was stunned. He thanked Bai Zihao and quickly rushed out the door to find Yue Wuhuan.

Yue Wuhuan had just finished lecturing the Peacock and was now instructing Hao Long to stop calling him "Mother" and use "Dad" or "Father" instead. Turning around, he saw Song Qingshi hurrying over and asked with a smile, "What’s wrong?"

"You saved Bai Zihao!" Song Qingshi grabbed him excitedly. "So the system was wrong! Bai Zihao got his happy ending—my mission succeeded!"

The system was a tool of the mastermind behind the scenes. It followed its programming to the letter—the mission was for Bai Zihao to find happiness, but it never specified the form that happiness should take.

Now, he had rescued Yue Wuhuan, and Yue Wuhuan, in turn, had redeemed Bai Zihao.

He had completed a mission impossible!

The system strictly followed the trajectory of fate. It had misjudged the protagonist’s destiny, erred in evaluating the results, and the scores needed to be reassessed!

This was unprecedented. The mastermind couldn’t completely ignore such a massive screw-up and had to find a way to fix it.

The butterfly’s wings had kicked up a storm—one error would lead to a chain of mistakes, like a snowball growing ever larger.

This world was about to face a major clusterfuck.